Conservatives versus Science: A New Scientific Validation of the Republican War on Science
http://www.desmogblog.com/conservatives-versus-science-new-scientific-validation-republican-war-science-and-republican-brain-thesisFor a while now, Ive been aware of a powerful new paper that directly tests the central argument of my 2005 book The Republican War on Scienceand also validates some key claims made in my new book, The Republican Brain. Ive had to keep quiet about it until now; but at last, the study is outthough Im not sure yet about a web link to it.
The research is by Gordon Gauchat of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and published in the prestigious American Sociological Review. In the study, Gauchat uses a vast body of General Social Survey data to test three competing theses about the relationship between science and the U.S. public: the rest is at the link
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)SpartanDem
(4,533 posts)it easy to say they're just stupid, but there is some really fascinating research out there on these people.
For one thing, well-informed or well-educated conservatives probably consume more conservative news and opinion, such as by watching Fox News. Thus, they are more likely to know what theyre supposed to think about the issueswhat people like them thinkand to be familiar with the arguments or reasons for holding these views. If challenged, they can then recall and reiterate these arguments. Theyve made them a part of their identities, a part of their brains, and in doing so, theyve drawn a strong emotional connection between certain facts or claims, and their deeply held political values. And theyre ready to argue.
http://www.salon.com/2012/02/24/the_ugly_delusions_of_the_educated_conservative/singleton/
longship
(40,416 posts)He really nails it, with documented resources.